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April 23, 2019Graduate student wins big in poster competition

First year graduate student, Nick Bogen, recently won first prize at the American Associate of Geographers Innovative Applications of ESRI GIS Technology Poster Competition. Bogen won for his mapping project "The U.S. in 11 Zip Codes: Mapping Socio-Economic Clusters & Exemplars of the United States

The poster competition calls on students to feature inventive applications of ESRI geographic information system (GIS) technology to show how it can be used to understand current issues and solve problems. Posters were judged in the following categories: Best use of spatial analytical methods, Best use of cartography to tell a compelling story, Best use of Components of ESRI Technology, Best application of GIS to solve a relevant and important problem, and People's choice.

Congratulations Nick...we love it when CMU Chippewa's bring home awards!

January 3, 2019Building a better greenhouseCMU student practices sustainability, hard work and ingenuity in Belize internship

Most people don't realize the impact of the environment on everyday life for developing countries, but one Central Michigan University student is keenly aware of it. Taylor Crowley, an environmental studies major from Grosse Pointe, Michigan, spent a month and a half in the Central American nation of Belize helping orphaned Belizean girls build a better life by constructing a greenhouse to grow food. It wasn't glamorous work: physical labor, no internet, no air conditioning or hot water — and even days with no water at all — but Crowley was inspired by the experience.

Dr. Michael Libbee, professor of Geography at CMU and founding co-coordinator of the Michigan Geographic Alliance, was recently recognized, for his accomplishments as a geography educator, as a recipient of the NCSS 2018 Grant for the Enhancement of Geographic Literacy. Dr. Libbee will be recognized at this year’s 99th Annual Conference in Austin, Texas.

October 30, 2018CMU students present research at regional conference

Amelia Baird of the CMU M.S.GIscience Program and John Gross of the CMU EES Ph.D. Program recently presented their research at the American Association of Geographers, East Lakes Division Regional Meeting at Ohio Northern University. John Gross won First Place in the Graduate Poster competition category. Both are advised by Dr. Benjamin Heumann. The regional conference was attended by students and faculty from departments across Ohio and the Lower Peninsula of Michigan.

October 10, 2018Shoring up shorelines pays offCMU team helps reveal positive impact of federal funds used to upgrade Michigan shorelines

Statistics without human context are like a novel without characters. Two Central Michigan University geography and environmental studies faculty members provided the human context for a recently released report on the positive economic impact of the federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Marcello Graziano and Matthew Liesch worked with colleagues at the University of Michigan to research social and economic benefits of cleaning up toxic sites on the Great Lakes. Among other findings, the report estimated that every GLRI dollar spent on lake shore community restoration projects from 2010-16 will produce $3.35 of additional economic output in the Great Lakes region through 2036. The initiative launched in 2010.

Commercial drone use keeps climbing, and many companies are looking for candidates with the skills and certifications to take them to the next level. Central Michigan University is on a trajectory to help students fill that need. This year, Benjamin Heumann, a faculty member in geography and environmental studies, has designed and taught a new course, Drones: Theory, Application and Society, on regulations for drone use and opportunities for skilled pilots. "We are doing everything involved in drone operation except the actual flying," he said. "The goal is to prepare students to operate drones in the commercial environment and to think about them more professionally."

Members of the Geography and Environmental Studies Club recently participated in the first annual ‘Hike the Chippewa and Help Clean it Up’ event. Club members hiked along the river through Mt. Pleasant city parks to pick up litter and learn the natural and cultural history of the Chippewa River.

April 18, 2018Fired Up and FocusedMeet Grace Watylyk

We only have one Earth, and Grace Watylyk plans on doing everything she can to help sustain it.

"I am passionate about environmental studies because there are so many issues within the field that need to be addressed, from waste generation to water scarcity to habitat destruction," she said. "If we don't have a safe, clean place to live, we are all in big trouble."

Grace, who came to CMU from Illinois, is pairing her environmental studies major with an outdoor and environmental education minor to best equip her to take on the world's environmental issues.

March 1, 2018New Class at CMU Prepares Students for Careers as Commercial Drone OperatorsMoviemaking, photo journalism, agriculture, construction, utilities, archeology, law enforcement…these are just a few of the industries relying more and more on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (U.A.S.’s or drones) to get the job done. “UAS is now a multi-billion dollar industry and continuing to grow rapidly”,” said Ben Heumann, assistant professor of Geography at Central Michigan University. Ben’s new class, “Drones!: Theory Application, and Society”, prepares students to take advantage of this growing field. From the physics of flight to crew management, issues of privacy and property rights to aeronautical regulations required by the Federal Aviation Administration (F.A.A.), this new class trains students to become commercial drone operators. They learn how to plan a flight, manage resources, assess risk, budgeting, crew management…everything needed to make the critical decisions required in this up and coming field. Upon finishing the class, these students will be prepared obtain the airmen certification required to become a licensed commercial drone pilot and incorporate these skills into their future careers.

February 15, 2018Geography Graduate's Thesis Gains TractionLittle did Sam Lipsocomb, a CMU Geography graduate, know that when he submitted his thesis on “Lighting, Perceived Safety, and Access to Emergency Call Boxes on the CMU Campus” that his work would gain traction. ESRI (Environmental Systems Research Institute) took Lipsocomb’s work and developed an app that a group of students at California Polytechnic State University have been beta testing. Those students have now passed their recommendations on to ESRI and the security team at Cal Poly.

May 10, 2016Two Central Michigan University geography students bring home awards2 CMU Geography students brought home awards from this year's Improving Michigan's Access to Geographic Information Networks (IMAGIN) Student Poster & Paper Competition this past April. Geography Graduate Student Chris Hippensteel won first place in the graduate division with his paper "Digitizing Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands: A Case Study of GIS Integration"
View his paper HERE.​ Alex Lynch won 1st place in the Best Analytic Presentation Category with his poster titled "Experimental Assessment of Supervised Algorithms to Classify Targeted Land-Cover Using Ultra-High Resolution Multispectral UAS Imagery".
View his poster HERE. IMAGIN, a non-profit organization founded in 1993, provides opportunities for professionals using spatial resources in Michigan to network and share with other professionals.

February 24, 2016Inspiring students beyond the classroomCMU geography professor, Mark Francek, named top college science teacher in MichiganCarrying a globe around his classroom, Central Michigan University geography professor Mark Francek stops to spin it on the tip of his finger. Later, he climbs onto a table so every awe-struck student in the class can see a demonstration he has planned.

August 4, 2015Impact of inclusive field tripsThe geosciences benefit from diverse student perspectives and backgrounds, but the field-based learning requirements pose barriers to students with disabilities. If carefully designed, fieldwork can be made accessible while still meeting expectations of academic rigor.

April 10, 2015Two CMU Geographic Information Science students are on their way to this year's annual IMAGIN conferenceEach year, IMAGIN (Improving Michigan’s Access to Geographic Information Networks), recognizes outstanding utilization of GIS in Michigan with several awards. The awards are given to GIS users specialists and/or organizations that demonstrate how GIS can be used to make processes more efficient, increase awareness of spatial conditions, or improve services for those of us who live in Michigan. This year John Gross and Ryan Meier, both CMU GIS students studying with Dr. Benjamin Heumann, received honors in the IMAGIN Student ​Paper Competition. Gross was awarded 1st place for his paper titled “A Comparison of Orthomosaic Software for Use with Ultra High-Resolution Imagery of a Wetland Environment,” making this the 2nd year in a row that a CMU student has won 1st place. Meier took 2nd place for his paper titled “The Use of Affinity Propagation to Cluster Socioeconomic Census Data."​ Upon winning these honors, Gross and Meier earned invitations to present at this year’s IMAGIN conference this June in Traverse City. Read more about this year’s annual IMAGIN conference and the poster and paper competition

April 6, 2015GIS graduate student's work with Facilities Management earns praise at MiAPPA Conference CMU Center for Geographic Information Science graduate student, Emmett Mercier, has been working with Facilities Management at CMU on issues with the domestic water system on campus.

It was this project that earned him recognition and congratulations at this year's Michigan Association of Physical Plant Administrators (MiAPPA) conference.

It started roughly a year ago when a water main outside of Moore Hall burst. With no accurate record of the water system in that area, it took longer than expected to isolate the problem and cut off the flow of water to that section of pipe.

That's when Facilities Management turned to the Center for Geographic Information Science at CMU for solutions.

Emmett's idea was to create a Geographic Information Science system that would update all of the water system features and create an interactive flow model that could be used both in an office and in the field.

When fully operational, Emmett's project will give managers, directors, and crews in the field online access to an updated, interactive mapping system that will better model, analyze, and troubleshoot the water network throughout campus.

The system will:

Allow a quick trace operation to be run once a water system issue is reported. Facilities Management can then quickly notify workers of the accurate location of the nearest values/infrastructure in order to more quickly address the issue, along with releasing a notification to the university and the city of temporary shutdowns on campus.Allow users to choose a point in the water network and show how to isolate and/or shut off the flow of water to that area.Allow for points to be placed on the network simulating new valves, allowing FM to see how changes to the network would affect the current setup.Make maps available that will allow workers and management to quickly view not only the spatial location of features throughout the system, but also view all associated attributes (e.g. date of last service, installation date, size of pipe) related to those features with a simple click.
Assure that maps are kept in a constant up-to-date state, removing the need to reprint large map books as changes are made.

Emmett's program will, "increase our confidence and assist in communicating the impact during utility showdowns; and will speed up our ability to respond to unplanned events," said Linda Slater, Director of Plant Engineering and Planning at CMU. "It will serve as a model for projects that can be done in the future on other CMU utilities."

January 30, 2014CMU advances Great Lakes research with unmanned helicopter, hyperspectral cameraCentral Michigan University has acquired the only unmanned aerial vehicle in Michigan that is equipped with a hyperspectral camera - a six-foot long helicopter - that will significantly advance research imaging of Great Lakes wetlands. The camera takes extremely high-resolution images in 334 colors compared to typical cameras that capture just three. Researchers will use the semi-autonomous helicopter, controlled via computer or by radio waves, to capture images of vegetation in wetlands throughout the Great Lakes basin. Their work will continue the fight against invasive species, protect rare plants and ultimately help to preserve and protect the world's largest supply of fresh water. "This allows us to determine where and when we collect the data instead of relying on archives from the federal government or commercial vendors," said Benjamin Heumann, director of CMU's Center for Geographic Information Science. The center conducts research locally, regionally and internationally on social and environmental issues that require spatial analysis. "We now have the technology to do more than anyone else in the state in geomapping and analysis of wetland ecosystems," Heumann said. "Using the hyperspectral camera, we have the capability to collect aerial imagery with far greater precision than manned aircraft and satellite." Now, instead of capturing an image that shows a tree, for example, the hyperspectral camera will show individual plant leaves throughout a wetland. The helicopter flies at about 10 miles an hour and to the height of a 40-story building. It is flown under Federal Aviation Administration guidelines. U​nmanned aerial vehicles historically have been used in law enforcement and the military, although there are many civilian applications as well. The technology also has applications in agriculture. Heumann recently spoke at the Michigan Advanced Aerial System Consortium about the potential use of UAVs for mapping disease, detecting weeds and monitoring fertilization and drought in the state's $5.72 billion field crops industry. "We can help farmers better forecast crop yields," Heumann said. "By mapping disease, we can pinpoint more precisely where to target the spraying of pesticides, reducing costs to farmers and health hazards to humans and the environment." Heumann and a team of graduate students will use the helicopter for the first time this spring to determine the biodiversity of a wetland area in Washtenaw County. The unmanned aerial vehicle and the hyperspectral camera were purchased by the College of Science and Technology at a cost of $140,000.